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Sword Nation #1

House of Rahilius

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One Hero. One Warrior. One Rebel.

Three years after the murder of his father, seventeen year old Lincoln still struggles to cope. He gets engaged to his childhood crush; the princess, and feels his life may finally be starting to turn around.

Days before his wedding, a ship from the neighboring planet Kayora arrives with passengers fleeing enslavement by the Prime Minister and infamous pirate Rahilius! Lincoln refuses to ignore their suffering. He vows to journey to Kayora and kill the Prime Minister - becoming a hero to the oppressed.

But heroism has its demands. Is he willing to pay the ultimate price?

Meanwhile, a Southern City rebel seeks to spark a revolution and unite a divided society on his home planet, Kayora. He convinces a mysterious warrior princess to shed propriety, and help him recruit, arm, and train his supporters to fight for their freedom.

The path of a hero, a warrior, and a rebel converge to start one holy war against the Kayorian Empire. But Rahilius is more than he seems, and underestimating him may come at great costs!

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2021

5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read

About the author

A.J. Ross

9 books41 followers

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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Amenze ♥.
182 reviews15 followers
September 20, 2021
House of Rahilius, presents a world where humans and creatures from other planets and galaxies coexist. After planet Earth goes extinct, humans are shipped off to live on different planets where they are essentially outsiders and are expected to respect and obey the rules of their new home. But when humans begin rebelling, it results in irreparable consequences. Three years later, we meet the main protagonist Lincoln Wolfe, a seventeen-year-old boy who has had to grow up way too fast and is still coping with the loss of his father. Shortly, after becoming engaged to his childhood crush, Princess Braii, a ship from another planet arrives on Planet Graiis including human slaves. When that ship is sent back to its originating planet and not in the way in which it arrives, all hell breaks loose. This forces Lincoln to train hard and then travel to Planet Kayora to save the day, including saving his future bride, Princess Braii.

First, I would like to say, Sci-Fi Fantasy isn’t the type of genre I would normally read, and I’ve never been a huge fantasy person in general. However, I really enjoyed reading this book! It took me a little while to get into it b/c of it being sci-fi but once we get to the part where the Kayorian ship arrives to planet Graiis, I knew things would get more intense. This book has a lot of world building, and we learn so much about planet Graiis itself as well as planet Kayora, just as much as we learn about the main characters. I loved each character in their own way (only one I didn’t click well with was Penny b/c I’m still mad about what she did!!). I wish Erwin had more time, so I was a little disappointed reading how short his character spent in the book b/c I don’t feel like the message he wanted to send was fully understood by those whom it was meant for. Besides those two faults, everything else flowed perfectly. I can see how the author used the human slaves on a foreign planet as a parallel to racial issues that we face in the world, which is a subtle message that many people would overlook if they weren’t thinking about it deeply. The human slaves on planet Kayora are treated horribly, looked at differently, and have no rights which can be compared to people of color in our society today and how they are treated by those who believe they are superior to them. Overall I gave it a 4.5/5 stars and can’t wait to read book 2!
Profile Image for S.P. Dawes.
Author 6 books63 followers
January 19, 2022
Fantastic

This is a mater peice in its own right and I can't wait to read more. This story is full of courage, acceptance, tolerance and evolution. To evolve things have to change and in order to do that, Lincoln has to learn how to fight. But the love of his life is no damsel in distress, but a fierce warrior, ready to take on the world in order to bring peace to a planet that only deals in corruption, isolation and propaganda. Although this book is set some years in the future and with a heavy dose of Sci fi, you can't help but relate to events that take place and ones we've witnessed ourselves. Seeing it through the eyes of others is no less barbaric but the way the author delivers this story is with a genuine love, hope and faith that I wish we all possessed.
Profile Image for Amanda.
Author 13 books37 followers
January 29, 2022
Perfect blend of Sci-Fi and fantasy

If you're looking for Star Wars vibes, look no further. Earth is no more and humanity has been split between 3 alien planets. Some thrive while others live in squalor (it all depends on who you are and what planet you're on). The hardest thing for me to remember throughout the book is how young Lincoln actually is. He's very mature for a 17 year old but that's probably due to the environment he grew up in. Braii is thoroughly likeable and I love how resourceful she was.
Profile Image for Morten Simonsen.
Author 3 books24 followers
September 5, 2021
Thoughtful and well-written

Fast paced with great characters. The internal dialogue felt a bit "telling" in the beginning, but got a lot stronger as we got further into it. The premise is great and Lincoln is the perfect, tormented soul to undertake this journey.

All in all, a very enjoyable read. Recommended!
Profile Image for Katara Johnson.
551 reviews9 followers
February 26, 2021
This read is a great sci-fi! I love the twist and turns of this book. It leaves the reader wanting more.
Profile Image for Gianna.
141 reviews5 followers
March 9, 2021
Hard to put down! This story has such a unique plot that from page one to the last, it kept me engaged. For the first time in a long while, I was unable to predict what was coming next. That says a lot.
Besides the plot, here is what I really enjoyed:
》Writing style.
It was simple, fast paced, giving the necessary descriptions at the right moment. I never felt overwhelmed with a lot of backstory, all at once. It was written in such a way, that I could just sit, relax, and enjoy the ride.
》World building
Since it takes place in another galaxy, there is a need to know how people lived on those planets, what the inhabitants look like, also what weapons and technology they use. The author did a wonderful job with that also. It was easy to imagine it and to understand how weapons and technology worked.
I enjoyed learning about the Fiies, those were the swords (the names were quite original too), and the Lawreiis. That part was amazing. I won't say what it was, I'll just say that everything was so well thought out.
》The characters
I loved the characters, specially the main three: Lincoln, Braii and Erwin. Each of them had something valuable to add to the story. In the case of Erwin. I wished he had more time on screen, in spite of that, it was so easy to connect with him and care for his cause and reasons to fight. He was also quite funny and down to earth.
So if you are a young reader, or not so young, looking for an exciting story with lots of twists and turns, this is the novel for you, it also has action and some romance. Even if you are not so much into sci fi and dystopian novels, like myself, you would most likely enjoy it. I know I did.
I can't wait to read the next part.
Profile Image for Christine Schulz.
Author 9 books101 followers
February 1, 2022
Lincoln might only be 17 years old, but he's been through a lot at his young age. He's a relatable character, strong and determined despite so many hardships, and definitely doesn't act like the whiny brat typically seen in many young adult novels. His friends also add different layers to the story as well with their knowledge and resourcefulness. As the story progressed, it was nice to seem them all grow and adapt to circumstances.

The story takes place across 3 different plants, which the author does a great job describing and worldbuilding how each society functions. At times it was difficult for me to keep track of all the people and places and maybe could have benefited from a glossary or something in the back. It took a little while for the story to really take off but once the action started, I got completely sucked in.
1 review
February 27, 2021
"Twisty, Sparsely touching, Colourful space and planetary adventure"

The plot Is a composition of many elements, although it is still a Sci-fi. The Journey of the main character resembles a medieval knight, but the element involved is sophisticated and vibrant. And not just sci-fi element, the drama and the twists throughout the story might waver your emotion as the story moves forward. The Main Character is active but budding which means easier to connect for any readers. And some sudden twist might take you off guard but the conclusion tells there are more great stories to come from this and the main character. There is a huge possibility for an avid reader to fall in love with this story in the first three chapters.
524 reviews27 followers
March 4, 2022
Things you do for love!

The Princess Braii had been captured days before her wedding to Lincoln by the leader from the planet Kayora, Rahilius. Lincoln had to prove himself to be allowed to train and master the Fiie and then travel to get his betrothed back. His mission was to kill Rahilius, and bring Braii back, but this whole journey was far more difficult than he had ever anticipated.
In a world where women rule on one planet and the divide between rich and poor are clearly made apparent on another, this book takes you on a journey of entertaining action, difficult choices, steely determination and love that conquers all. An easy to read and enjoyable book.
Profile Image for Marcelle Valentine.
Author 27 books35 followers
May 18, 2022
Sci-Fi delight

Looking for something to read in the sci-fi genre, check out House of Rhihilius. Set in a futuristic time where not all worlds are equal, some thrive while others scrape by, with many of the inhabitants enslaved by the ruthless Rahilius. Lincoln (our protagonist) decides he cannot sit by when a Kayorain ship escapes with several enslaved people aboard arrives on his planet Graiis seeking asylum from the injustices they faced. Setting him on a path of growth, discovery, and a fight he might not win. Lincoln and his love interest Braii characters were well written, and the overall story was quite enjoyable. 
99 reviews5 followers
April 10, 2022
Great blend of sci-fi and fantasy

Great original plot and fantastic worldbuilding are two of many things you can look forward to in this great tale.  The plot is extremely detailed and does slow down in a place or two, but this doesn't detract from the story overall; it is extremely enjoyable.  Essentially the story is an indication of modern times; 3 planets, some rich and others poor and the struggles that people have to undertake to become more than they were born into. Enjoyable, and the second book in this series has been added to my TBR pile. A good story.
Author 1 book1 follower
December 6, 2021
Great Sci-Fi! It felt a bit like the main character was an ancient, shiny knight, that moved through time to end up in the future. It felt a bit hard to connect with him and took some chapters to be honest.

The pace of the story differed quite a bit, sometimes it felt pretty fast, and other times kinda slow, which was actually nice, felt almost realistic.

I loved the plot of the story! Looking forward to read more!
Profile Image for Samantha Evans.
Author 7 books68 followers
December 19, 2021
I am such a fan of this kind of genre! Well done. The main characters are interesting, and had me wanting to read it all until the end. The writing was very well done. I think the descriptions of what was going on in the story were Woah! Way too much for me that I got lost a few times. Besides that, I would give this 4.5/5 stars! Loved it, and I cannot wait to read more from Lincoln. I want more!
Profile Image for Shelly Neinast.
Author 4 books23 followers
December 28, 2021
Superb YA Sci-fi fantasy

I don't usually read many Sci-fi books, but this one, even though long, was a great read. Lincoln's character was strong but could have been stronger. The storyline moved at a fast-paced making the story more interesting but didn't know where the author would end up from the various twists and turns.
Great characters but needed to show more emotion and realistic dialogues.
All in all it was a great book one starter for the other books in the series.
Profile Image for Vicky Peplow.
Author 74 books64 followers
November 27, 2021
A great start!

A great start to the series and what may follow. The storyline was fast faced and kept me interested. I did skip over some of the descriptions as sometimes it was a little too much but didn't take away from the story. I look forward to seeing what happens next for Braii and Lincoln.
Profile Image for Pascal's scriptures.
170 reviews1 follower
December 23, 2021
The grammar is exceptional, and the story line is also interesting I'm a fan of this genre.
This is one of the greatest book you must have in your collection, I promise you won't regret it grabbed my attention from the fitst page after I read that earth was no more.
It is a great book, you should try it.
I'm going to read book 2.
Profile Image for Tabitha Womack.
Author 25 books105 followers
Read
December 1, 2021
Wow

This author produced this work like a boss! Beautiful book, well developed characters, great writing style, sick plot! This series is gonna be amazing. Bravo.
Profile Image for Margaret.
97 reviews
December 13, 2021
Sword Nation 1: House of Rahilius by A. J. Ross is a fantastic read! Fast paced, great characters, well written, and hard to put down.
Profile Image for Heather Adams.
Author 22 books106 followers
December 23, 2021
Action packed read

This book was action packed from beginning to end! I read it in two big chunks of time because I couldn’t put it down. If you love sci-fi filled with alien drama this is your saga.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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